Japa, Inc. Wins Capitalize Grand Prize

Last night, as the Kings took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team celebrated the fourth annual Tech Night, crowning Japa Inc. as the 2019 Capitalize winner.

Pitch videos, created with the help of Haney Biz Marketing, were shown in-game on VSP Skeyeview as the Capitalize finalists competed for last-minute fan votes. Voting, via Twitter, began on March 25 and concluded during halftime of the game.

“We are proud to award Japa with the grand prize as they take the next steps in their business,” said Chief Technology Officer Ryan Montoya. “The fourth year of Capitalize featured many cutting-edge ideas and business models and we look forward to continuing to invest in new technology in the future.”

Japa, Inc., based in Woodland, California, is a leading smart parking company delivering data and advanced analytics to solve parking issues. Japa’s pioneering technology makes the parking experience easier for customers, while making corporate campuses and cities more efficient. Japa helps cities and universities further enhance their Smart Campus or Smart City initiatives. Their vision is simple – to solve parking and make smart cities a reality.

“The Kings Capitalize competition was a rewarding experience that exposed Japa to a large audience and provided our company with resources we can leverage to further our business goals,” said Japa Inc. CEO & Co-Founder Mathew Magno. “We aim to use the grand prize to drive our business and continue to create solutions to solve parking issues in the Sacramento region.”

This year’s annual crowd-sourced startup competition, Capitalize, powered by the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab, saw innovative startups apply for the opportunity to launch their company to a global audience. The competitors were narrowed down to a group of 16 and received additional resources – a marketing and business development pitch workshop and coaching session –to prepare for a presentation that determined the eight semi-finalists. These eight companies competed in a one-day pitch contest for a judging panel who consisted of Sacramento executives, innovators and creative thinkers. The judges then selected the finalists to create pitch videos and compete for fan votes.

To learn more about Japa, Inc. and their next steps, visit ParkJapa.com.